Apple Just Reduced How Much Money You’ll Get for Your Trade-in

3 Min Read Published: Jan 10th, 2020

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Apple has quietly revised nearly all of its estimated trade-in values. And, unfortunately, that may mean you’ll get less for your used device.

The change appears to have taken place overnight. At this time yesterday, an iPhone XS Max had an estimated trade-in value of up to $600 (depending on condition). Now, the value for the same device tops out at $500.

But while Apple has slashed its maximum trade-in values, the exact amount varies depending on the device. An Apple Watch Series 4’s trade-in value was slashed by $10, for example, while an iPad Pro’s was cut by $70.

The reduced values do impact pretty much all of Apple’s products, however. As of the writing of this article, the MacBook Pro, the Mac Pro, the Mac mini and the Apple Watch Series 1, 2 and 3 retain their original trade-in values.

It also appears that the value reductions have applied to Apple’s online storefront worldwide. In fact, German tech blog iFun.de was the first to spot the reduced trade-ins on Apple’s website in the country.

The trade-in program itself has been a fairly successful one for Apple. Back in October, CEO Tim Cook noted that at least a third of its brick-and-mortar customers decide to trade in their device for a new one.

That’s likely the result of Apple’s heavy marketing of the iPhone trade-in program, as well as its emphasis on environmental sustainability and recycling.

As for why Apple slashed its estimated trade-in values, the explanation is likely fairly simple. It’s now 2020, which means that the devices eligible for trade-in are a year older. The market value of used devices, obviously, goes down over time. You can check the value of your iPhone on Gazelle.

Despite the cuts, the trade-in program is still a good choice for many consumers looking to upgrade. While they won’t get as much as simply selling the device directly to someone else, trading in an old iPhone saves them the hassle of dealing with second-hand marketplaces.

You can see a full list of Apple’s new trade-in values below, with the original maximum estimates that were present as of yesterday. (If you don’t see your device, it either isn’t eligible for trade-in or its value hasn’t changed.)